I'll be buying that kit and the amp next paycheck then!

 

you may want to go 0 guage to *flex out like a champ, but realistically you should be around 4 guage as most amp input ports are not larger then this, and any larger is for multiple amps with distro blocks and such.

Depending on where you want to install your amps, your local welding supply shop is a very easy way to get cheap wire with no shipping. Remember you need to measure your positive from the battery back, but your negative only needs to go to the nearest ground, so 100feet isn't required.Knu is a good product though if you dont want the hassle.

If you do decide to go the welding cable route, look for a cable with a slimmer jacket and higher strand count, the thicker the strands of copper, the less there is, the less flexible it is. Also buy a fuse+ case for locating just after your battery on the positive side, I prefer the Stinger HPM series, but there are cheaper options that work very well for what you need.

I also suggest giving a JL 10w3v3 a listen at your local shop they sound excellent for the size, little better then the alpine type r's for not that much more $$, but I'm a jl addict so... take that advice with a grain of salt haha

also, you havn't mentioned it, but alot of people who are newer to car audio tend to think power caps are useful, they really arn't.. depending on the music you listen to, but mostly they are a waste of money. If you experience "pulsing"or headlight dimming with the system you are talking about, upgrade the ground wires on your battery and alternator to 4 guage.. if the problem persists, replace your alternator, or get it re-wound (much cheaper if you can find a shop that still does this) to a higher amperage.

 

Lots of good advice, thanks! I've been slowly buying parts, with the amp and component speakers coming in dead last. I have the Knu kit and the 12" Type-R's sitting in my room right now.

I will be running 2 amps in the final install... The Alpine PDX driving the subs and the PG Octane in the first post driving some speakers, so that's why I chose that kit.

Funny you said that about the caps. I wired my first system with a Walmart Scosche wiring kit, and it came with one. It was half a farad, and didn't do much except display voltage and have some blue LEDs.

 

the pdx's cant be beat for efficiency and size really, not a bad choice should be a decent system when it's done.

Yea caps are complete crap.. when they are completely drained they are basically a dead-short and that is just a pain in the ---

most of the time if it has a bunch of lights and crap on it, the flash is there because the performance isnt. Not always but alot of the time haha.

take some pics when you're done

 

I'm going to have to disagree with you regarding caps! most ppl use caps to fix a system problem, or electrical deficency, which is not what they are suppose to help. They do help regulate the 12 volt power..


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPTlf...ayer_embedded#!

Use it for what its intended for....and try not to make blanket statements either..it confuses ppl....

 

Interesting video. I wonder how much a "true 1 Farad" cap costs? I have 20 year old pulse width modulation type amplifiers (2 Earthquake and 1 Autotek) and a Mobile Authority 1 Farad cap. My alternator is a 90 Amp and my headlights used to dim with the music when played through my 3 amps totaling 1200 Watts RMS, corresponding to my particular speaker configuration. Another phenomenon was a surge of power whenever my giant electric engine fan would kick on. With the cap installed, all of the surges and dimming are no longer noticeable. I have my doubts as to whether sound quality is better but really don't know if it's possible that SQ has improved. I want to upgrade my alternator to a 130 Amp in the future and was wondering if I should remove the cap when I do this.

 

Did you do the big 3 yet?

And I'd remove the cap if I was you, the new alt should take care of your problem.

 

Sorry for stealing in this post but the discussion got me interested.

Thanks Pizzaman. I did the big 3 using PG 2 AWG cable about 10 years ago. It will cost hundreds of $ to upgrade the alternator, wire in a more modern, efficient fan controller, and add a second battery and isolator so it will be a while before I do it all.

 

If your lights are dimming, a Cap isnt your answer....a new or higher amp alt is the correct fix. Unfortuntly ppl use a cap to try and fix this deficency. Even if you have a 120 amp Alt..and your lights DONT dim, you still might benifit from a cap. The cap regulates "conditions" the DC current since due to relays and suck there is AC noise present in DC power. This noise can , and might be present in your system. Also depending on how extensive or accurate your system is..you might be able to hear this noise.

 

Yea an alt will definitely help, but since your going to spend the money for one why are you only getting a 120amp one? I've seen a 220amp ones for our trucks before, if it was me I'd save a little longer and get the bigger one (iirc they run around 450). And while your at it since the big 3 cables are like 10 years old I'd run new ones with 1/0. You won't see a huge improvement through newer cables but every little bit helps with car audio haha.

And yea cap's don't fix dimming issues, they're more like putting a bandaid on a huge wound, it's not gonna help much.

 

I guess I can consider myself lucky that the cap fixed my dimming and surge issues...I've got to wonder though, will my current alternator fail prematurely because of the cap??

 

hahaha..is that a serious question? its not the cap that might cause your alt to prematurely fail....its the fact that your running aftermarket electronics (amps) that are drawing more then your alt can supply (hence your dimming lights)

wow...this is fun

yes the cap will ruin your entire electrical system....

 

Problem is a cap discharges faster than it charges (R/C time constant) so after a few milliseconds, it's dead and needing a charge. Most of your bass "hits" you are trying to juice, last longer than milliseconds, so, in the end you are trying to charge a cap AND a battery and likely not doing a good job of either...

Regarding clean power, the do fill in the sags and absorb the spikes, smoothing out power delievery and also stopping your headlights from dimming (the filiment takes longer to react than the cap) otherwise, they are more of a load than a help...

BUT, in a properly built electrical system they can provide a level of filtering a battery can't match typically

Problem is that most people use them to remove headlight dimming and then they assume the problem is fixed, so they dont do anything more, meanwhile the problem persists and continues to damage the cars ability to function as well as the electrical hardware in the vehicle. This only worsens when people try to get two to three caps to fix a problem caps cant fix.
You said you installed a cap and then the dimming issue dissapeared, well no it didnt, it is just masked, i really hope you have fixed the issue instead of ignoring it because you bought a cap.

Therefor they normally cause far more damage then they are worth so it's better to tell people not to get one, then to explain to them why they dont need one a cheap dead cap is a dead-short though, and while the newer ones might have protection, when caps gained popularity when i was younger, alot of them didnt and they would die, short and cause dmg.

 

Now that was well said......


I just dont like putting blanket statements, like all caps are just crap and you should NEVER use them....b/c they do have their place, but as you said...90% of ppl use them incorrectly. I'm sure there are some of those 10% ppl on here that can and might like to really understand when a cap "might" be a beneficial piece of equipment to use on their system. Also not all caps are created equal...even to this day.


sounds like you've been in the industry as long as i have...Wasnt it Richard Clark who started the whole cap craze in the early 90's? Or was it Dave Navone.....lol

 

Ty, haha, blanket statements are normally bad yea i agree, but as far as power caps go most people dont have enough money in their system to notice the difference, and the ones that do are deep enough in the community they should know.
Not attempting to insult anybody by that, it's just how it is really.

I've spent stupid amount of money on car audio equipment ever since my first db drag when i was really young at a car show with my old man haha.. My first car was a fiero my old man had kept around for me, and i tore that thing down and rewired everything, saved up my money for sooo long to get some cheap/ghetto alpine speakers in there ahaha, ohh man it was good times. Made all the stupid decisions, you know, flashing lights and whatnot... my friends were all in the same boat more or less. Most of my knowledge is based on mistakes we made, some of which caused a lot of damage, but it was all good times. 99 was I think when i first got into it.. i'm 25 now :P

This forum has helped me out a lot over the years, if i can give back even a little bit, i'm more then willing to do so

sorry for the threadjack op